UNCOMMEN: FocusSample

Seeing Jesus Rightly

Here we see Mary is distraught and crying outside the tomb where they buried her Lord and Savior the night before. Mary wasn't a person that was told about Jesus by someone else, but rather a person who was with Jesus during His time on earth. She watched Him heal people, raise people back to life, teach the apostles, and speak about the Kingdom of heaven in person. Mary had first-hand knowledge of Jesus and what He meant to her. It meant so much; she was the only person at the tomb mourning her Lord. 

So it's somewhat understandable she may not have been expecting to see Jesus out of the tomb but rather still behind the stone. Her first thought was that someone stole the body of Jesus, and now she had to find it. Frantically, she searched for someone's help and the person standing near her she assumed to be a gardener. 

Jesus asked Mary why she was weeping and who are you seeking. As if speaking to the gardener, she asked if he had carried the body away. Jesus spoke to her again but said, "Mary," and she immediately recognized Jesus by calling Him Rabbi (Teacher). 

The person whom she loved with all her heart was now standing in front of her. A moment ago, she had mistaken Him for someone else, but now that Jesus spoke her name, she knew exactly who was standing in front of her. Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us, and we need to listen with our hearts to see what's in front of us.
 

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Part of Mary's issue was she was looking for Jesus to be dead and still in the tomb. She wasn't expecting Jesus to be alive. 
 

Luke 24: 5b-6 Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee,

Do our expectations of Jesus warp who He really is?

Uncommen Questions:

If you spent extended time with Jesus, do you think you would mistake Him if you were Mary? 

Do you see Jesus as He says He is? Or do you pass Him through your view of Him?

Uncommen Challenge: 

I challenge you to focus your eyes on Jesus and listen to His voice because that will allow us always to see Him as he is...our Lord and Savior.

Scripture Reference:
John 20:11-18